Carolina Hurricanes: Outlook for Dougie Hamilton’s 2019-20

Dougie Hamilton had an up and down season in his first year as a Carolina Hurricane. What should we expect from him in his second season?

In his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Dougie Hamilton had a rough patch beginning the season where it seemed he wasn’t quite acclimated with his surroundings. In the first three months of the season Hamilton had a total of just 10 points (three goals, seven assists), which for an offensive defenseman isn’t that good.

But Hamilton went against the belief of him being a cancer in the locker room. Instead of giving up and not being a quality teammate, he worked to get out of the bad start he had. Once he was fully settled with being a Hurricane, he was getting on the score sheet more and more.

From the start of January to the end of the regular season on April 6, Hamilton found himself tallying 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in that span. He turned into a threat down the stretch for a Hurricanes offense that was firing on all cylinders. Although it took a little bit of time, he was able to adjust to the Hurricanes system and become the offensive player he was in Boston and Calgary.

But what Dougie Hamilton should we expect to see in the 2019-20 season?

Now having a full year behind him, Hamilton should be extremely familiar with how the Hurricanes want to operate. The Hurricanes now adding to their already dangerous forwards will only benefit the offensive production for Hamilton. Hamilton would be in good shape to have a 40-point season (20 goals, 20 assists) especially if he were to get better minutes on the power play.

Let’s get into the power play. As we all know the Hurricanes had a power play that was brutal to watch at times last season. Hamilton was buried on the second power play unit while Justin Faulk got most of the shifts on the first power play unit. Hamilton is more offensively gifted than Faulk and would be a better fit with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. The most power play goals Hamilton had in a season was six. Look for eight power play goals as he should take on a bigger role.

One trend that should continue in terms of Hamilton’s play in Carolina is the increase in hits. Last year Hamilton had 160 hits, which was fourth on the Hurricanes. That was 54 hits more than his previous career high.

The Hurricanes will need a physical presence with Micheal Ferland leaving for Vancouver. Hamilton has the size and strength to absolutely take over this role as well as be an elite offensive defenseman. His hit total should increase again this upcoming season, and you should see Hamilton become a more scrappy player. His size gives him a huge advantage in terms of how physical he can be compared to many players in the league.

How will Hamilton fare on the defensive side of the puck?

Hamilton hasn’t really been known for his defensive play. The Hurricanes may need him to step up on the defensive side of the puck after the salary cap trade of Calvin de Haan to the Chicago Blackhawks. Although defenseman like Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce can bail out a few miscues from time to time, Hamilton really needs to keep his focus in terms of his defense.

Although he won’t ever be a shutdown defenseman as his skill set is much more geared toward offense, he has attributes which can allow him to play solid defense for the Carolina Hurricanes. He has the reach with his stick that can help make passing lanes more difficult as well as deflect pucks out of play or out of the zone. Also, he does have the size to knock forwards off of the puck.

Expect Hamilton to play defense efficiently this year. It may not be pretty at times as Hamilton does like to pinch a lot in order to generate offense, but like previously stated a defenseman like Slavin or Pesce could be a life saver. Hamilton has only had a plus/minus that was minus twice in his career. When he is plus good things are happening for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Question for CC Readers: Do you see Dougie Hamilton having a better season this year than last year?